Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Buying a new camera - Update

I had a both a frustrating and productive time yesterday trying to track down cameras I wanted to try.

The good news - I think I've found the camera I want to buy - the Canon Powershot SX40 HS. I'm in the process of testing out how strong my feelings are towards it - and finding the best price.

Canon Powershot SX40 HS

The bad news - This conclusion was not without some considerable frustration which almost made me give up looking! Plus an extra bit of bad news I could have done without.

Frustrating: John Lewis @ Stratford Westfield

Call me old fashioned but I thought that the point of having cameras in a store is that you're trying to sell them. However after three visits to John Lewis at Stratford Westfield I've still to come across a working camera.

If it happens once, I just think it's one of those things, twice I begin to get irritated and three times I ask to speak to the manager.

Yesterday I learned the store has a set-up which is basically malfunctioning badly and none of the cameras appear to be charging. All of the ones I pick up have discharged their batteries and are not charging - hence nothing actually works and it's impossible to test a camera. What's more I gather that this is a new system that John Lewis was hoping to implement in all their stores.

I can't buy from B&M stores which don't get the basics right. If I don't want to try before I buy I'll go to Amazon!

What John Lewis needs to do is install the system used by both Jessops and Currys which works fine!

Good news: The very well informed man in Jessops

I like to buy from stores where the staff are well informed and helpful. People who know about cameras and can explain the techie bits I don't understand - and don't guess when they don't know!

Most of the controls are the ones I know and have been using for years - only a few new ones to learn! Chances are I know how most of it works already.

The big new addition is the 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor. This gives improved photography in low light conditions - which for taking photographs in exhibitions will be a boon.

It's got a 35x optical zoom with image stablisation which is much better than my current S5-S1 12x optical zoom AND it can take macro shots very close to the subject - which is essential (see Trusted Reviews Review of the SX40 HS for photos which demonstrate what is possible). I discovered, thanks to William, that the trick is to do all such photographs on the wideangle lens with no zoom. Hence why the camera can take images when there is zero distance between camera and object. It also focused fantastically fast using this method. The only issue for me is going to be my mobility in getting close to the objects. see Zoom, Image Stablisation and Macro

It's got the great Canon Image Stabilisation I like and trust - this is what keeps me wedded to Canon

Fantastically comfortable hand grip built into the camera. This is again for me a real clinching factor for me. If it feels like an extension of my hand and is very safe and secure when in use I'm a lot happier. See Design and Comfort

It also has the standard very flexible vari-angle monitor which I've now been using for years and which everyone else now seems to have copied

Plus the Dioptre correction which is now essential for me.

Plus itcan record video at 1080p full HD resolution, at 24fps - which is nice but not essential.

Incidentally, one of the things I realised while idly looking at some of the Digital SLRs is that I can't use them as they are too heavy for my hand which has permanent tenosynovitis. Plus handling them felt uncomfortable for me and may leave me seriously off balance and hence prone to fall.

So I'm definitely sticking to a bridge camera - and saving some money as well!

Bad news: the Battery

I sometimes take huge numbers of photos and hence want a battery which can cope with this. However I tend to have back-ups for when I've forgotten to charge the battery. I was expecting a switch from AA batteries. What I wasn't expecting was the difficulty in locating genuine Canon batteries, the prices quoted for the genuine articles (I've been quoted £69 for a proper Canon battery!) and the fact that both these factors contribute to a market for counterfeit batteries which might damage the camera.

It really concerns me that a genuine battery is difficult to get hold of and the production of counterfeit batteries means it's difficult to know whether you're getting the genuine article or not. I'm waiting for an answer from Canon on that one.

So that's where I've got to so far. I'm now trying to suss out this battery situation and work out what the best combined deal is.

8 comments:

very interesting! I am enjoying your quest as I have the same issue- would love a DSLR but the weight is an issue for me. I have an old bridge camera Canon Pro 1 - dropped 2 times and got it repaired 2 times and it still takes great pictures although many years old now and the screen is tiny and it is slow. I am in need of a new one and love Canons... so looking forward to seeing how you go!

The camera looks like a good choice, it has been highly recommended on the bird forum I belong to for anyone not wanting to carry a DSLR or in addition to for ease of useFor batteries I buy from either Wex Photographic or Park Cameras as the service is excellent at both. Interestingly the online shop for Wex are recommending a different replacement battery at £29.00, it might be worth giving them a ring and asking them about it.

Many thanks Gayle. Those birders are pretty discriminating when it comes to cameras as I recall so recommendation from them is high praise indeed. I noticed that there were a lot of comments from people who photograph birds on Amazon as well

I looked at the exact same camera recently - really liked it but unlike you already have the DSLR which is darn heavy with its 18-200 lens but as I spent so much on that I can't justify doubling up on another superzoom,as much as this is much more compact and light - so I ended up with a Canon S100 compact which is fantastic. One of our mutual artist friends has this camera and has featured some of the pics on her Flickr and FB pages ...

hello katherineThe images obtained from the SX40 are really good, this camera has excellent glass which means clarity of image, this I have seen for myself. I personally choose an SLR for the benefits of being able to photograph my work with negligible degree of distortion. I wear a leather wrist brace to help support the weight of an SLR or use a tri-pod when photographing art or a mono-pod out in the field which enables steadiness which really helps when against the wind to capture bird images. I always buy an extra battery at the same time as camera purchase, that way I am covered.Hugs!

If you read this blog Google/Blogger will try and collect cookies about you to help improve viewing experience. You can change your settings at any time. My privacy and cookie policy are explained at the bottom of this page.

Links to books are Amazon Affiliate links. If you buy using one the small sum I receive helps to fund/maintain my 'resources for artists' sites. See Disclaimer notice at bottom.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

You can find more information about arton one of my information sites (see links in menu underneath the title). Feel free to BOOKMARK and/orLINK to any of my sites from your site if you want a handy reference.

Categories of topics/artwork are listed towards the bottom of this column - click a category to see all related posts.

The Best Books about Drawing and Sketching

Do you want to learn how to draw? Click on the image

MY NEW BOOK

Below are the titles and cover pages of my new book re. the three different editions for

Do not copy without permission

Copyright is reserved on all images and text generated by Katherine Tyrrell on this blog and related / referenced sites.

Please also respect the copyright of all artists featured here. Copyright is retained by the originator for all images and text generated by others and used on this with their permission or within the context of "fair use".

You may quote a very short excerpt from the text only (equivalent to a short feed) PLUS include an accredited link with appropriate and specific direction to the original content and blog post.

You can e-mail me (see 'About Me' above) if you want to(1) purchase, licence, exhibit or display any of my artwork.(2) get permission to copy any more than indicated above or(3) use ANY text or images for publication elsewhere in print or online for commercial use. This is always subject to license and fee unless by prior written agreement.

All spam blogs will be reported to Google and their website host ISP for copyright infringement.

Disclaimer Notice: All reviews on this blog are independent and unbiased. What does this mean?* I choose to buy the bulk of my art materials and art books from various shops and suppliers but have no financial relationship or formal affiliation with any suppliers of art materials, any publisher or any B&M art shop or art bookshop.* I am sent review copies of books by various publishers or authors and samples of art materials by various suppliers of art materials. I always declare if I was sent a product as a sample.* I am an Amazon affiliate and the Amazon search box and all links to books include an affiliate link via Squidoo or my own personal affiliate account. This means that if you buy a book as a result of clicking on one of these links I might earn a very small sum. (Income earned in this way helps me finance the purchase of new books).* Apart from books (see above for declaration) I always declare if I have any sort of affiliate interest in relation to a product or service under review

Cookies Notice: You have full control over your cookie settings and what gets stored on your computer. Blogger, Google and Amazon and other websites which contribute to the operation of this blog all use cookies to ensure the best viewing experience. If you continue without changing your settings, I'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies. However you can change your cookie settings any time.

Analytics Notice: This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States . Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.